A conventional remote backup system includes client computers (sources of information to backup) and a remote backup facility. Each client computer typically runs a backup agent which coordinates aspects of the backup process (e.g., start times, what locations to backup to the remote backup facility, etc.) based on backup settings which are locally stored within both the client computer and the remote backup facility.
When a user of a client computer wishes to make a change to the backup settings, the user logs into a website of the remote backup facility and saves the change at the remote backup facility. The remote backup facility then communicates the change to the backup agent running on the client computer.
One approach to communicating the change from the remote backup facility to the client computer involves the client computer maintaining an open connection with the remote backup facility, allowing the remote backup facility to communicate the changes to the client computer over the open connection as soon as the changes are made. Another approach to communicating the change from the remote backup facility to the client computer involves the client computer opening a new connection to the remote backup facility at periodic intervals and querying the remote backup facility for changes. In some systems, the periodic intervals are short intervals, on the order of five seconds between connections. In other systems, the periodic intervals are long intervals, on the order of one day between connections.